Where You Go, I Will Follow
by United-Whovians
Summary: Rose has been diagnosed with a fatal illness. In theory, it should be an easy problem to solve. You know, TARDIS, time travel, the Doctor should be able to pick up a remedy in time for tea. But his and Rose's lives have never been that easy, and their life doesn't seem to want to change its ways... Rated T for thematic material.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I should probably be updating my other story, but this idea just wouldn't let me go!**

* * *

Rose and the Doctor were on the run when the pain began. It first started with Rose feeling very short of breath.

Which was odd for her. After all of running with the Doctor, her body had accustomed to running long distances, and it no longer bothered her anymore.

Well, they were trying to escape through a forest from a troop of Santarans. Of course. The warrior potato men.

She was running towards the TARDIS side by side with the Doctor when she realized her breath was coming out in short, ragged gasps. She quickly pushed it aside as her body just being tired from their constant physical exertion from the past couple of days.

How wrong she was.

They had just burst into the clearing where the TARDIS was when a brilliant starburst of pain erupted in her chest.

Crying out, she fell to the ground, pressing her hands to her chest and violently fighting for air.

She was desperately restraining herself from screaming, as she didn't want to worry the Doctor. But the pain. Oh the pain. She wanted it to stop more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life.

Through the red haze that was misting her eyes, she saw the Doctor running back towards her, his face and eyes alight with terror.

Finally, she couldn't help it."Oh God, make it stop!" She screeched, her body convulsing from the effort of using that much air. Rose began to panic. Her body wasn't taking in enough oxygen. She felt as if there was water surrounding her and she was choking, suffocating, and there was no way up or out.

By this time the Doctor had reached her. He dropped down next to her and cradled her face in his hands, forcing her to look into his deeply concerned eyes.

"Rose, what is it? You have to tell me. Where does it hurt? We don't have much time; it won't take the Sontarans much time to catch up!"

She opened her mouth to reply, and she really did intend to, but all that came out was a high-pitched keening sound that vibrated in the back of her throat. Rose feebly reached up to touch his hand with her own, only to find that her face and his hand were soaked with her tears. She hadn't even realized that she'd been crying.

"There they are!"

The Doctor's head snapped up just in time to see the full squadron of Sontarans break through of the confines of the thick forest.

"Come on Rose, we're almost to the TARDIS. You can make it that far, surely! Come on!"

He pulled her to her feet and began to run, but soon noticed that Rose was not with him.

Turning around he saw that her face had turned a sickly pale white and she was desperately trying to reach him, stumbling, while her eyes rolled around wildly in their sockets. The Sontarans were right behind her.

She wasn't going to make it.

He made a snap decision.

The Doctor immediately sprinted to Rose and scooped her up, bridal-style. She cried out, but he didn't have time to ask what was wrong. He immediately whipped around and ran as fast as he could with his precious cargo.

They were going to make it.

He quickly yet carefully opened the TARDIS doors, stepped inside, and shut them behind him.

Looking down at Rose, he realized she was now clutching at her chest once more, and gasping, seeming like a fish out of water. Concern twisted his features as he carried her to the medical room and set her on a bed.

"It's all right Rose, you'll be okay. I'm going to take you back to earth and we'll get you to a hospital. We'll make sure you're in the time period with your mum, too, so she knows where you are," he murmured to her, gently tucking a stray bit of her hair off of her sweaty face.

"I'll be right back, Rose," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead before running back to the control room.

* * *

They had reached earth, and the Doctor was sitting impatiently in the waiting room of London's finest hospital, jogging his leg up and down, face resting in his hands, waiting for one of the nurses to give her the results.

He was terrified. He had never seen such a look of pure anguish on Rose's face. The Doctor couldn't even imagine what kind of pain could make her react like that.

Although, he had the TARDIS, so if it was something that they couldn't fix here in the twenty-first century, he could just pop off to another time, or planet if need be, and be back almost immediately. I mean that was the purpose of the TARDIS, right? To help him save lives?

He heard footsteps coming down the hall and he quickly lowered his hands and stared jumped up.

A young nurse, probably twenty or so, blonde, female, came walking into the waiting room. She was looking down at a clipboard, that would seem to have the patients names, symptoms, diagnosis etc on it. She looked worried.

He immediately tensed up, and his mind began to race.

She looked around and walked over to him. "John Smith?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's me," he answered quietly.

"I am so sorry sir, but Ms. Tyler didn't make it. I'm very sorry," she informed him sadly, tears in her blue eyes.

He stared at her, uncomprehending. His heart began to pound. He felt as his hearts were being ripped apart into tiny pieces. He-

"Mr. Smith, I presume?" The young nurse walked up to him. Furiously, he blinked tears out of his eyes. He really needed to get his wild imagination under control.

"Yup, that's me," he answered, popping the 'p'.

"Sir, if you would, please step back here," she led him towards a small room connected to the hallway.

"Yes ma'am" he replied politely. He needed to keep good manners intact. He did _not _need to start any trouble just then.

"Please, take a seat, the doctor will be here in a moment" the nurse motioned to a chair across from where she was standing. _The Doctor already is in here, _he thought sarcastically

He sat down without complaint, although his entire body screamed at him to get up and run to wherever Rose was. It only took him a minute he began to feel antsy. His foot began to tap on the floor and he found himself chewing on his lower lip.

Finally, the doctor walked in wearing a white coat and a strained expression. The Doctor shot out of his chair.

"Is Rose alright?" he nearly leapt at the man and shook his shoulders, desperate for information.

"Mr. Smith, please sit down,"

Both men sat down. (Well Time Lord and man, but hey, technicalities.)

"Well, Mr. Smith, we have a diagnosis on your... Sorry, what is her relationship to you?"

"Umm... I'm her... Boyfriend! Yeah, that's it. Boyfriend," he stammered. The doctor stared at him for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Well, yes, and I'm afraid I have bad news about your girlfriend. We ran some tests on her and came up dry. CAT scan, nothing. Finally we tried a PET scan, and Mr. Smith, I am so, so sorry, but Ms. Tyler has stage IV lung cancer."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**~United-Whovians**


	2. Chapter 2

Rose awoke to the sensation of a warm, strong hand gently gripping hers.

Her eyes fluttered slowly open to find the Doctor's warm brown eyes staring worriedly into her own tired ones. She tried to smile at him as she made an attempt to sit up, but it quickly turned into a grimace as she felt a tightening in her chest that caused her to gasp in pain. Immediately the Doctor shot out of the chair and carefully laid her back down.

"Don't sit up yet, you need to rest Rose," he murmured, flashing her a small smile. She found herself returning it easily, but the quiet sadness in his eyes made her curious. What was wrong with her? What was bothering him? Where was she?

Despite her insistence that she rest, she found herself looking around the room in an attempt to figure out where she was. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The bright lights, plain white walls, and pristine cleanliness of the place were hauntingly familiar.

"Um, Doctor," she tried to begin, but it came out more like a croak, and it occurred to her that she was very, very thirsty. He seemed to understand, for he immediately walked over to the small counter on one side of the room and picked up a small plastic cup filled with ice chips.

He came back over to her bedside and sat down once more in the uncomfortable looking plastic chair set next to her bed. "Here, suck on these, the doctor isn't sure if you'll be able to keep down a cup of water. He's a nice man, your doctor." She took the cup for him and managed a slight smile at her slightly ADD companion. Or was she his companion? Sometimes it was hard to tell, as he tended to follow her wherever she wanted to go. Like now. She was in a hospital and he had come-

All of a sudden Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she here? She tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. She remembered the Doctor getting irritated and insulting the Sontarans... Running through the forest... And then, nothing. It was as if her memory had been wiped.

She looked anxiously up at the Doctor, who was watching her anxiously. Rose finished her ice chip, and, clearing her throat, began to speak. She was determined to find out what was going on.

"Doctor," she began tentatively. He gave her an encouraging smile and gestured that she should continue. "Why am I here? This is a hospital, isn't it? What happened? I remember running from the Sontarans in the woods, but after that, I just don't know!"

His smile had vanished in an instant. That's all it took. And that's what made Rose realize that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Doctor, please tell me honestly. Please. What's going on? What's wrong with me? Please, for me."

It was the last three words that really got to him. The Doctor leaned back in the chair and rubbed a hand over his face, a small sigh escaping him. He immediately thought back to when her doctor had told him the news.

* * *

_"... Finally we tried a PET scan, and Mr. Smith, I am so, so sorry, but Ms. Tyler has stage IV lung cancer."_

_The Doctor shrunk back into his chair, trying to keep from panicking. He felt constricted, and seemed to be having a hard time breathing. He quickly began to calm himself down. 'Come on, you've got the TARDIS, once you get Jackie over here you can travel forward and pick up a remedy and slip it into her IV or something. That's it, in, out. Breathe. In, and out.' _

_He vaguely heard the doctor talking to him, but he didn't hear a word. He focused on the rhythm of commanding his breathing. 'In, out, in, out, in, out, in, out.' _

_Finally he brushed away the tears he realized had stained his cheeks, and looked up at the doctor sitting in front of him. "Sorry, what?" he asked shakily. The doctor looked at him sympathetically. _

_"I said, Mr. Smith, that you could go back to see her if you would like to. We can talk about treatment and such later. I know how this feels. My wife was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago. I presume you'll want to call Ms. Tyler's family?" He said kindly. _

_"Yes, but could I see her first?" _

_"Of course,"_

* * *

He relived that moment within a matter of seconds. The Doctor looked up once more to find Rose looking at him expectantly, albeit rather pensively. He stood up and took a deep, shuddering breath.

He had hoped that he might not have to be the one who broke the news to her, but he knew he couldn't lie to her. And, try as he might, he just couldn't tell her no, so he walked closer to her and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Rose Tyler, before I tell you this, I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to get you through this. I promise. I need you to trust me, alright?" She looked him straight in the eyes and nodded, whispering "To the end of the earth and back," and the Doctor could tell that she was fighting off a torrent of emotions and bracing herself for what was coming next. _That's my Rose_, he thought warmly.

He grabbed both of her hands, kissed them, and held them to his hearts. Closing his eyes, he continued.

"Rose, you've been diagnosed with lung cancer," Rose stared into his eyes and he could feel her heart rate speed up. Her eyes began to fill with tears and he felt like his hearts were being ripped into pieces. She was biting her lip and trying not to cry. He gently caressed the back of her head with his hand and pressed it to his chest, pulling her into a tender embrace.

"Just let it go Rose. It's just me. Let it go," he whispered gently into her ear. Apparently that's all she needed. Rose buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his thin waist and the Doctor felt small sobs wracking her body. He tried to keep a stoic expression on his face, but found it impossible.

He felt the first of the tears trickle down his face, and when Rose gripped him a bit tighter as she continued to cry into his chest, he lost his composure. He felt his defensive walls break down at the sound of Rose, _his_ Rose, sobbing.

He joined her in her break down. They stayed like that, crying both for each other and themselves, for what felt like hours, but in reality was only about thirty minutes.

Eventually, when he felt Rose's body stop shaking from the force of her tears, he pulled back a bit and wiped away the tears on her face. She gave him a sad smile and wiped his eyes as well.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stay strong-" he managed to force out hoarsely.

"Don't apologize, my brave Doctor," she interrupted quietly, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. "It shows that you care."

He raised his hand to her own and leaned into her touch, both of them looking into each other's eyes sadly, each of them trying to regain their composure. Gently, the Doctor leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips.

When he went to pull back, she put her hand to the back of his neck and pressed her lips to his. At first he seemed surprised, but after just a moment, he responded and melted into the touch. The kiss was gentle, and conveyed a torrent of emotions, sadness and love the most prominently.

They both pulled back slowly, each of them with wide eyes. Then Rose gave him a smile, which, in turn, caused the Doctor to flash her one of his broad grins. They embraced each other once more, and this time it was comforting just to be in each other's arms.

They looked around the small hospital room and Rose closed her eyes as the weight of her situation hit her.

"Doctor... Can you use the TARDIS to get something to cure this?" She asked quietly, almost seeming guilty for asking. Maybe she was right to feel guilty. After all, didn't people fight and die of cancer every day? But she was different. She was Rose Tyler, defender of the earth, Bad Wolf, and companion of the Doctor. She wasn't just 'people'.

He looked her in the eyes. "Rose Tyler, it would be my honor to do so," she broke into a wide grin. "But don't get your hopes up! I honestly would be breaking every rule of time travel out there doing it, but I would do it a thousand times over to save you Rose. But just in case I get caught, or something goes wrong, I don't want you to get your hopes up. I hate saying it, but you're just going to have to fight this for a bit. Act like you have no advantages above all these people around you; like a normal can-" he swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Cancer patient."

She yawned, feeling (and looking) exhausted, and nodded. She closed her eyes sleepily, and the Doctor got up to sit back down in the chair next to her bed. All of a sudden she shot straight up in bed with her eyes wide open. The Doctor whipped around worriedly as the heart monitor picked up pace.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered. "Have you told mum?"

The Doctor gulped. "No," he muttered. Rose looked at him meaningfully. He sighed.

He was going to have to face Jackie Tyler.

"I'll be right back, I'll just... I'll just call her real quick... Press the red button if you have an emergency or are in pain, okay?" She nodded quickly and he swiftly whipped out his phone and walked out into the hallway, careful to stay out of the way of the bustling nurses. He pressed speed dial and sighed, leaning against the wall. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Jackie, it's the Doctor,"

* * *

**Sorry for not updating sooner with that cliffhanger! I just about cried writing this, so please don't kill me! *hides behind chairs* **

**Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~United-Whovians**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I originally wasn't going to have the conversation between Jackie and the Doctor, just maybe reference it and put in little bits of it in flashbacks, but due to requests, I decided to include it! Sorry it's so short! Oh and also, wouldn't let me do spaces between the lines, sorry... Another glitch, great... **

**Sorry one more thing! IMPORTANT! I have decided that this is the sequel of the other story I am working on (although I am a lot farther in it) and am now going to write a series of their adventures together and stuff... So if you would check that out it would give you more backstory! (Again still in progress though ;))**

* * *

"Hey, Jackie, it's the Doctor,"

"What's goin' on? Have you finally come 'round to visit? Why, just last week Mickey and I were talkin' 'bout never seeing the two of ya-"

"No, Jackie, unfortunately I'm not." The resigned tone in his voice must have caught her attention, because for once in her life, Jackie went silent.

"Jackie can you come down to the London Hospital? As quick as you can please. We are in room… 372 I believe it is."

Her silence lasted a few seconds more, then her voice came out, a couple octaves higher and quite a bit louder than before.

"What the bloody 'ell are you doin' at the bloomin' 'ospital?! It's Rose isn't it? She ain't on the phone, so she must be in the 'ospital…. What have you done to my Rose, 'Doctor'? WHAT HAVE YOU DO-"

"JACKIE!" he yelled and a couple nurses walking past jumped and gestured for him to be quiet before turning back away.

"Jackie, Rose is… ill. We need you over here so that I can go to the TARDIS and go get the cure!"

She went quiet once again before asking quietly, "Doctor, is it cancer?"

The Timelord was stunned into silence for a moment. How could she know?

He sighed resignedly. "Yes Jackie, it is… I'm sorry. So, so sorry. But how did you know?"

"There's actually a history of it in the family. We never thought nothin' of it before now though…" he heard a heavy sigh from the other end and after a moment he was afraid she'd hung up on him.

"Right, I'll be there in ten minutes, just go get the TARDIS so we can get Rose out of there right quick," she began. "And Doctor?"

"Yes, Jackie?"

"Just bring our Rose through this. You promised me you'd keep 'er safe. And now I'm countin' on it."

And with that, she hung up.

The Doctor stood there for some time before shaking himself and running down through the elevator was taking too long so he sprinted down the stairs, the adrenaline rushing through his veins giving him a boost. He pushed past a pair of startled nurses, throwing an apology over his shoulder, and pushed out the doors and into the chilly autumn air.

He whipped around the corner into the alleyway where he had parked the TARDIS, only to see… Nothing.

She was not there.

He ran to the exact spot where his ship had been, and dropped to his knees, tears prickling in his eyes.

His only way to save Rose was gone.

As he was kneeled there he felt the tickle of the TARDIS's consciousness in the back of his mind.

_Thief? Is that you, my thief? _There was a pause in her thoughts, then a brief rush of panic surged through her.

_NO! Surely 'tis not __my__ thief! Not __my__ thief, yet is my thief…_

Her voice became slightly warped sounding, and slightly deeper than before._  
_

_To find me, my thief, you will have to solve the greatest riddle of all time;_

_Through time and space he travels,_

_He has many lives to change._

_Yet one affects him most of all,_

_And he comes when she calls his name._

_Though many trials they will face,_

_They always pull through together,_

_Yet in the end, what is love?_

_Who loves and is loved by the Doctor?_

_The answer may seem easy, but it is what you do with this answer that matters now._

_ How far are you willing to go for Rose Tyler?_

It was all too obvious that it was not the TARDIS speaking, but someone speaking through her. And that someone was standing between him and saving Rose.

Well, then they had better be prepared.

The Oncoming Storm was approaching.

And it was willing to tear apart the universe to save Rose Tyler.

* * *

**Okay... That kind of took a twist... Kinda went from sickfic to all out actiony/adventurey/mystery-y dealio...**

**Completely unintentional actually!**

**Please review!**

**~United-Whovians**


End file.
